Microalbuminuria in type II diabetes

The objective of the project is to demonstrate the occurrence of microalbuminuria in a population of type II diabetics who are treated in general practice, and to demonstrate the relationship between microalbuminuria and risk parameters such as hypertension and blood lipid disorders. The sample of patients was taken from three medical centers in Tromsø Municipality. Both interviews and clinical tests have been collected in this study. The dataset represents the clincial tests.

Forty percent of all patients with type I diabetes mellitus develop nephropathy. Nephropathy in this context means albuminuria in the order of magnitude > 200-300 μg/min. Nephropathy in type I diabetics is a marker for other microvascular diseases and involves significantly increased morbidity and mortality over the next 15 years. During the last 10 years, it has become clear that this development can be predicted by the detection of smaller amounts of albumin in the urine, so-called microalbuminuria (20-200 μg/min). Eighty percent of type I diabetics with microalbuminuria develop macroalbuminuria within the next 5-10 years if special therapeutic measures are not taken.

The occurrence and predictive significance of microalbuminuria is more unclear in type II diabetics. Preliminary data from various centers suggest that up to 50% of type II diabetics have microalbuminuria at the time of diagnosis. However, far fewer of these appear to develop diabetic nephropathy. In contrast, the occurrence of microalbuminuria in type II diabetics is strongly associated with increased mortality from other causes, eg cardiovascular death.

This study wants to map the prevalence of microalbuminuria in a sample of type II diabetics, and compare the occurrence of microalbuminuria with the frequency of other possible risk factors such as blood pressure, pathological blood lipids and shifts in metabolic parameters (fructosamine and HbA1C). The hypothesis is that microalbuminuria is a marker of a general risk profile in these patients.